Tracked vehicles are provided with so called support wheel suspension to improve mobility and comfort. In such a tracked vehicle, the vehicle has a pair of track assemblies; in articulated tracked vehicles each vehicle unit has a pair of track assemblies. Each track assembly in the pair of track assemblies comprises a track support beam, at least one drive wheel, a plurality of support wheels and an endless track. Said at least one drive wheel and said plurality of support wheels are rotatably secured to said track support beam. Said drive wheel is configured to drive said endless track running over the at least one drive wheel and said plurality of support wheels. The support wheel suspension of the vehicle is configured to resiliently secure said support wheels to said track support beam.
Such a support wheel suspension configuration comprises rocker arms connecting said plurality of support wheels to said track support beam, wherein said rocker arms are configured such that forces acting on said plurality of support wheels cause resilient oscillation of said rocker arms so that the tracked vehicle can pass over small obstacles without the vehicle chassis being affected significantly, resulting in increased comfort for the vehicle operator.
For larger obstacles and rough terrain such support wheel suspension is not effective to the same extent, resulting in that comfort is not maintained and that the chassis of the vehicle hereby tend to lean which may cause difficulties in transporting cargo on the vehicle in such terrain.
Consequently, there is a need to present improvements in suspension systems for tracked vehicles.